A global ransomware attack, called WannaCry, started on May 12, 2017 and is continuing. It is important to understand the full impact of this ransomware breach, primarily directed at healthcare organizations. Below are some of the functions that might be affected:
- No access to Electronic Health Records (EHRs). That means not having access to patient records, diagnoses and history. Once an organization switches to an EHR, they usually don’t have paper-based records that they can refer to. It should be noted that ransomware can affect the ability for an organization to access cloud based EHRs (even if the EHR is not directly involved in the attack).
- No access to files, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, scanned files including Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) and files on shared drives or personal drives.
- No access to MRIs, Digital X-rays, Ultrasounds and other diagnostic equipment.
- No access to patient contact information and scheduling and not being able to lookup patient information to contact them to reschedule.
- No access to email or calendars.
- Not being able to use servers, desktop and laptops.
- Not being able to make or receive telephone calls.
For more information, please read the full article. If you are not familiar with ransomware, this article also includes a brief educational video.
Source: www.HITECHAnswers.net
Staff at the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network continue to monitor and refresh their understanding of this potentially harmful attack. We cannot afford to relax in thinking this attack is over or in recognizing potential phishing attempts. We strongly encourage everyone to read the article in full as well as watch the video.